Category Archives: Military

In a major announcement, President Trump announced this morning via Twitter that he has banned so-called transgendered individuals from serving in any capacity in the military. NOM has helped lead a nationwide grassroots movement to oppose the gender ideology of former President Obama and the left, which has attempted to force the transgender agenda on the military, public school children and all institutions of government. Recently, we helped mobilize a massive grassroots push back against 23 Republican members of the House of Representatives who opposed efforts to stop saddling taxpayers with the huge cost of sex changes surgeries and other treatments for transgendered people who join the military.

This is a great victory for taxpayers, and for common sense. The medical science is clear, nobody is born such that they are the opposite sex "trapped in the wrong body." Those who feel this way suffer from a disorder called "gender dysphoria." They deserve our concerns and prayers, but they are not entitled to force all of society to abandon reality to accommodate their disorder, and they are not entitled to force taxpayers to pay for sex-change surgeries and other expensive 'treatments.'

President Trump cited "the tremendous medical costs and disruption" that transgendered individuals would cause the military. Kudos to him for having the courage to stand up to the left on this issue, who have relentlessly used the power of government to push the transgender agenda on society.

Mr. Trump is correct to cite not only the costs but the disruption that the transgender agenda causes. These gender-confused individuals are a tiny fraction of the population, yet everyone else is expected to succumb to their demands or risk being labeled a bigot, homophobe or worse. They expect school children, women and victims of sexual abuse to risk their safety and privacy by allowing biological men into intimate areas reserved for women and girls. Massive fake outrage has been manufactured by LGBT extremist groups and their allies in government, media, large corporations and big-time sports leagues against anyone who resists.

We’re encouraged by this development and call on President Trump to also protect individuals, churches, nonprofit groups and people of faith from the same cost and disruption that he is concerned about transgender individuals causing in the military. As a candidate, he repeatedly promised to sign an Executive Order to protect the religious liberty rights of people of faith, including the right to continue to uphold the truth of gender, marriage and the sanctity of life. We urge him to act to fulfill that promise and we commend him for the actions he’s taken today.

Yesterday, from Deseret News, a story about the continuing battle surrounding our military's chaplain services in the wake of the Supreme Court's fateful DOMA decision this past June:

The Catholic Church has joined Southern Baptists in directing its military chaplains not to witness or bless same-sex marriages nor offer marriage counseling to gay couples.

The rules issued last week by the Archdiocese of Military Services also prohibit chaplains from acknowledging a spouse of the same gender at a retirement or promotion ceremony, or from assisting at a funeral if it would "give the impression that the Church approves of same-sex 'marital' relationships."

The guidelines also give direction on how to comply with implementing federal employee benefits for same-sex couples under their command.

Unfortunately, we know that these challenges for our chaplains will only continue unless Congress acts decisively either to pass aggressive and sweeping conscience protection legislation or to undo the Court's strike against DOMA by passing a Federal Marriage Protection Amendment.

In the meantime, please join us in praying for our brave men and women in uniform and the chaplains who serve them.

When officers and enlisted swear their oath in joining the Army or Air National Guard, they vow to "support and defend the Constitution of the United States and of the State/Commonwealth/District/Territory" where they are serving.

The Obama administration determined this month that married same-sex couples are entitled to spousal military benefits, but three GOP-controlled states - Texas, Louisiana and Mississippi - have refused to grant them to members of their National Guards. Now advocates are urging the federal government to push back. [...]

A Mississippi National Guard spokesman told the news outlet that the unit was "following state law," which, like laws in 30-plus other states, bans same-sex marriage.

In recent days, you might have read the news about the latest battlefront in the fight for marriage: a battlefront, this time, where real soldiers are involved.

I'm talking about the National Guard in Texas and Mississippi, whose leaders are choosing to obey those states' marriage laws instead of a Department of Defense directive that would have the entire DOD recognize same-sex 'marriages.' The contention over that directive from Defense Secretary Hagel is just the latest fallout of June's fateful Supreme Court ruling against Section III of the Defense of Marriage Act.

When marriage is redefined, it impacts the entire society, but especially people of faith and communities of believers — and this is just as true in military society as in the civilian world.

If you haven't seen it already, please take time to watch this video that NOM's Marriage Anti-Defamation Alliance produced earlier this year, highlighting the very real threats to our military chaplains that stem from the push to redefine marriage.

The Marriage Anti-Defamation Alliance (MADA) is just one of the ways NOM continually endeavors to dismantle the lies of the same-sex marriage lobby and the complicit media — lies we've all heard time and again:

"It doesn't affect your marriage."

"Marriage equality won't bring about any threats to religious liberties."

"No one is telling you what to believe, just that you can't impose your beliefs on others."

We hear these lies every time there's a new push for same-sex marriage. And every time marriage is redefined, we see the opposite becomes true:

Parents' rights to raise their own kids with their values are challenged;

religious and charitable organizations and businesses are faced with lawsuits and sometimes forced to close;

and the simple belief that marriage is the union of a man and a woman is treated like bigotry or racism in the public square, in the media, and sometimes even in the courts!

This is why we'll never stop fighting to reveal the truth about this radical agenda, and to give your values the voice they need and deserve in the halls of power and in the public square.

One of the obvious results of the US Supreme Court’s DOMA ruling this summer is confusion. Confusion with the tax code, confusion with how states, who have the sovereign right to define marriage for themselves, balance their positions on marriage with the new federal definition of marriage. Texas, as well as Mississippi, is at the forefront of these questions.

"As a state agency, Texas Military Forces must adhere with Texas law, and the Texas Constitution, which clearly defines marriage as between one man and one woman," said Josh Havens, a spokesman for Gov. Rick Perry's office.

Texas, like some other states, expressly prohibits same-sex marriage under its law. That state law trumps federal law, argues Perry and others.

"(Texas Military Forces) is a state agency under the authority and direction of the Texas state government," wrote the forces' adjutant general, Maj. Gen. John Nichols, in a memo dated August 30. "... Due to the potential conflict (between state and federal law), we are unable to enroll same-sex families ... at our state-supported facilities until we receive legal clarification."

In a statement Tuesday, the Texas Military Forces insisted that while Nichols is asking the state's attorney general for an advisory opinion, "the state is not denying any federal benefits to military personnel or same-sex spouses of military personnel."

"This is a processing issue, not a denial of benefits issue," the agency says. "As such, we fully encourage eligible members to enroll for their federal benefits at one of the 20 nearest federal installations, which are dispersed throughout the state of Texas."

Conservatives have criticized Pentagon’s decision to grant full family benefits including marriage leaves of up to 10 days to military gay/lesbian couples who want to get married.

Critics say the move by Pentagon is unusual as same-sex marriage is still barred in 37 states including the entire southern states, where most military installations are based.

Conservatives say that openly homosexual service members, who were barred from serving in the military until two years ago, are receiving special treatments that even heterosexual couples can not enjoy, according to Los Angeles Times.

Heterosexual couples are not granted marriage leaves, which Petere Sprigg, a senior fellow at Family Research Council calls “homosexual honeymoons.”

“It could well be argued that the new policy actively discriminates against opposite-sex couples, who receive no special leave for their weddings,” Sprigg wrote in a FRC news release on Thursday.

Senior Master Sergeant Phillip Monk, who’s been in the Air Force for 19 years, was relieved of his position and reassigned because he disagreed with his openly gay commanding officer about gay marriage. Monk’s commanding officer wanted to strictly punish a subordinate Airman for mentioning to his trainees that he disagreed with same-sex marriage. Monk apparently thought her punishment was to harsh and it came out that he also disagreed with same-sex marriage. He was later reassigned.

“I was relieved of my position because I don’t agree with my commander’s position on gay marriage,” said Monk.

FOX News Interviewer: How worried are you that Christians in the military are caught in a really tough spot now, in trying to balance tolerance and acceptance of their fellow men and women who are serving with them, but also to be able to express their own views based on their religious beliefs?

Kelly Shackelford [attorney representing Sergeant Monk]: This is really concerning. What happened here to Sergeant Monk is a violation of Air Force policy. It's a violation of DOD policy. It's a violation of the Constitution. And as you mentioned, this is a trend. For instance, if you were to go to libertyinstitute.org and look at Sergeant Monk's facts, you'd see a link to numerous other recent attacks on our soldiers and our airman, and that shouldn't be happening. That violates the law, and our soldiers deserve a lot better. They're giving service for us to protect these freedoms, so I think the least we can do now is stand with them when they come under attack.